Synergy: New Adult Romantic Suspense (U-District, #1) Read Online Free

fake pout meant to be sexy. “Oh, well, maybe next time.”
    Bryce unlocked his door, glad she gave up so easily. She was pretty, but he’d never consider a relationship with someone so unpredictable. Today she was hitting on him, last week she’d barely said a word to him.
    And speaking of unpredictable, what was Gloria thinking, making her granddaughter CEO? Hell, Jade couldn’t even show up at the lawyer’s office dressed appropriately. The girl was immature, disrespectful—and downright beautiful. Her crazy windblown hair, multiple piercings, and baggy clothes hadn’t masked the beauty of her wide green eyes, high cheekbones, and lush lips. She’d be eaten alive in the business world.
    Which gave him an opportunity. With a significant investment in Synergy Technologies, he was in a position to shape the company’s future.
    If Jade doesn’t get in the way.
    He threw the keys on the oak table in the hallway and closed the door harder than he’d intended.
    Kenzie glanced away from the flat screen.
    “Sorry.” Bryce was glad she wasn’t putting in another twenty-four-hour shift. As usual, she sat curled up on the far end of the tan microsuede couch they’d picked out last month, no doubt watching reruns of her favorite show, Grey’s Anatomy .
    “That bad?” she asked.
    “I’ll tell you about it in a minute.” He headed to the kitchen and slid his damp jacket over a barstool. He craved a bitter microbrew and chose a Redhook IPA. “Want anything?”
    “Uh-uh.” Kenzie gave him her typical don’t-bug-me-this-is-the-good-part response.
    Bryce sat on the couch to let the beer dull his raw nerves. He wasn’t interested in watching television.
    When a commercial flashed on the screen, Kenzie said to no one in particular, “There’s no way he would have lived with those massive internal injuries. I don’t care how brilliant the surgeon is.”
    He knew better than to ask her why she watched the show when she was an ER nurse herself. The last time he’d asked, she’d said she watched it for the relationships and some guy named McDreamy.
    Kenzie uncurled her legs and turned toward him. She had faint bruising around her left eye.
    “What the hell happened?” Bryce turned her chin to get a better look.
    “It’s not that bad.” She pulled her head away. “Some guy with a stab wound came in high on meth. He had to be restrained.”
    Bryce’s jaw clenched. No man should ever hit a woman. “Need me to kick his ass for you?”
    “Thanks for offering, but security beat you to it.” She smiled. “So… tell me, do you still have a job, or do I need to start looking for a new place to live?”
    “Yeah, I still have a job, and I like having you here.”
    “That’s because you need a girlfriend.”
    “I work ten-to-twelve hour days. I don’t have time for a relationship,” Bryce said.
    “Commitment-phobe.”
    “Hey, commitment doesn’t bother me, relationships get… complicated.”
    “Not every relationship will be like your parents’.”
    True. He’d never allow himself to lose control the way his dad did and hit a woman. Bryce drank a swig of his beer. “I was promoted to chief operating officer.”
    She frowned at him before smacking him on the shoulder.
    “What was that for?”
    “First, for changing the subject, and second, for making me think you were being fired. I did all that worrying for nothing.”
    “I didn’t say I was getting fired, and it wasn’t for nothing.” The tension dropped from his shoulders. It was nice to have someone worry about him.
    “So why the strange behavior?”
    “Gloria gave the company to Jade and named her CEO—if she agrees to it.”
    “You’re serious? How can someone so young run a company?”
    He tipped his beer bottle in her direction. “Good question.”
    “At least you can hire someone to help you now.”
    “With this economy and the hiring freeze, it’ll be a while before I can replace my position as business development manager. I’ll